Vapor-phase synthesis of symmetric ketone from alcohol over CeO2-Fe2O3 catalysts

Formation of 3-pentanone via oxidative dimerization of 1-propanol was investigated over CeO2-based solid solution with various metal oxides. An addition of Fe2O3 into CeO2 greatly enhanced the 3-pentanone formation, and both 1-propanol conversion and 3-pentanone selectivity were maximized at Fe content of 20 mol%. It was found that the CeO2-Fe2O3 effectively works as a catalyst for the formation of symmetric ketones such as 3-pentanone, 4-heptanone, 5-nonanone, etc.